Embassy News

Mainland HURRIYET daily (30.08.03) publishes the following commentary by Cuneyt Ulsever under the title: "Futile games in Cyprus":

?How can a state mislead its citizens? The futile attempts in Turkey did not work but the players continue to play games in the `TRNC? the last stronghold of the status quo.

The deception games will continue on the island until December 2003.

The most recent two games being played in Cyprus are:

1) the Customs Union with Turkey; and

2) the newly established Compensation Commission.

The hawks in the `TRNC? and Turkey must be congratulated for strong-arming some of our ministers into signing a customs union agreement that only they recognize.

As I wrote before the agreement was signed, such nonsense will not work. According to the agreement Ankara signed in Helsinki and Turkey's Customs Union Agreement with EU, Turkey must obtain the "consent" of each EU member state to sign a customs union agreement with any third country.

Our gentlemen have been disgraced before the entire world.
The same geniuses formed a Compensation Commission to which Greek Cypriots may apply to receive restitution for property they lost in 1974 and declared that the European Court of Human Rights [ECHR] recognizes it.

Most recently the ECHR ruled in favour of the Eugenia Michaelidou Developments Limited on the complaint that Turkish soldiers were using a two-storey house it owned without permission. However, because the Court could not determine the amount of rent owed it asked the two sides (the Turkish Republic and the plaintiff) to settle the amount owed between themselves (31 July 2003).

The geniuses reported this decision to the public as follows: "Between 1986 and 1996 the Court ruled in favor of Greek Cypriots who complained that their property rights were restricted. This time it did not condemn Turkey to pay compensation because the plaintiff did not apply to the newly established Compensation Commission in the `TRNC?."

The truth is that the Compensation Commission was stillborn just like the customs union.

Turkish Foreign Ministry officials who argued that the "ECHR will make allowances on this issue" blundered together with their `TRNC? colleagues.

The `TRNC? formed the Compensation Commission on 30 June 2003 and reported it to the ECHR on 2 July 2003 [as part of an objection in the Eugenia case].

However the ECHR did not even consider this objection because it was not among the "preliminary objections" we raised years ago.

Thus this objection will never be considered in any of the cases before the Court.

Even Rauf Denktas acknowledged that these ECHR judgments could cost Turkey $25 billion to $35 billion in reparations.

Also the Turkish [ad hoc] judge [in the ECHR], Riza Tuzmen, stepped down during the hearing of the Demades case. Turkey, which has insisted that "the judgments will not be binding on us," appointed as an "ad hoc judge" Feyyaz Golcuklu, another Turkish judge as opposed to a `TRNC? judge, to replace him.

The saying, "How can you justify these pickles with your diet?" was instantly translated into all the EU languages.

The `TRNC? and Turkish hawks, who are on their last legs, are prepared to resort to any intrigue.?